


Between These Comings and Goings

by kaathefriendlysnekk



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, they are plain boring office workers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaathefriendlysnekk/pseuds/kaathefriendlysnekk
Summary: His night shift and Kageyama’s day shift make them feel like the two sides of a coin - always together but never meeting each other. Sometimes when Tsukishima is alone with his thoughts on his lowest days, their relationship somehow feels more threatened than a long distance one. He comes back to an empty house, goes to sleep in an empty bed and wakes up with nobody to get mad at him for hogging off all the blankets or threatening him with a tickle attack for falling asleep on their side of the bed. He waddles to the clean tiled bathroom, freshens up, sometimes nicks his chin accidentally while shaving. Tsukishima Kei has poor hand-eye coordination before his first cup of coffee in the morning.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 11
Kudos: 59
Collections: stories that touched me





	Between These Comings and Goings

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of me randomly asking for a prompt in the tkkg server for a smol drabble and going overboard with it. Monika's prompt was : Kageyama playing with Tsukishima's hands. PLOT was not happening yesterday but today PLOT happened. And I'm happy about it. Monika, Miz, Vera, and Kel, all my tkkg server sheroes, this one is for y'all.

“Tadaima.”

Before Tsukishima can greet him back, he finds Kageyama coming in through the bedroom door, and bookmarks the page before putting his book down on the bedside table. 

Kageyama flops down on the bed with his head in Tsukishima’s lap.

“Long day?”

Kageyama nods and Tsukishima’s ears pick up the slight rustle that his boyfriend’s silky black hair strands make on his pant legs. He wipes the hair out of Kageyama’s forehead and runs his fingers through it, occasionally coming across tiny knots.

“When do you leave?” Kageyama leans into his touch. Tsukishima’s other hand now runs soothingly on his cheek, willing the exhaustion away from his skin.

He doesn’t want to leave. “In an hour.” This weekend is too far away and the last one was too long ago. 

Oh, how Tsukishima hates the middle of the week.

Kageyama’s blueberry eyes are especially dull tonight. So when he pries Tsukishima’s hand off his cheek, Tsukishima lets him. The blonde’s other hand still scratches his scalp lightly as he continues to card through his hair.

He holds them close to his nose, the cool tip soon meeting the warm skin of Tsukishima’s hands. Kageyama takes a deep breath, Tsukishima feels the tiny blows of air rushing through the gaps between his fingers.

“You’ve showered already.”

That must have been the smell of the bodywash in his hands giving him away. Tsukishima nods.

“Good,” Kageyama’s eyelids flutter shut. “So I get to have a little more time.”

“You do,” Tsukishima smiles down at him. Kageyama knows the sadness masked behind the smile, it’s the same for him. For a moment, Tsukishima thinks he’s going to comment on it and braces himself but Kageyama doesn’t.

It’s not a choice they’ve happily made.

Kageyama places his hand on Tsukishima’s, their palms touching. He has done this so many times in the past but Tsukishima still finds himself staring. His fingers are long compared to Kageyama’s sturdier ones. Thin and long like the rest of him is, strong and sturdy like the rest of Kageyama is. His rough tips press firmly against Tsukishima’s soft skin. Tsukishima wants to kiss them but he does not want to disturb Kageyama’s repose.

“Kei.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I know,” Tsukishima is no longer staring at their hands. He is gazing out the window, watching the city glow with the rushing neons of traffic and more glittery light at the windows of the buildings around them flickering on like more sequins sparkling into view. There is a constant exchange of comings and goings here, as if it gives back Kageyama only to take away Tsukishima in return. It’s too cruel. “Me too.”

Kageyama slips his fingers between Tsukishima’s, locking them in place. He brings them to his chest and places them right between his ribs. Tsukishima can feel his heartbeat through his sternum. It’s erratic. As erratic as they are.

“I made pork curry,” Tsukishima doesn’t really want to fill the silence, he just wants Kageyama to look forward to something when he’s not here anymore for the night. The silences are complete in themselves and they’ve harboured Tsukishima and Kageyama safely for a while now. 

Kageyama only hums. He turns in Tsukishima’s lap and traps the tangle of his and Tsukishima’s arms between his chest and Tsukishima’s waist. His hot breath spreads through Tsukishima’s stomach, creeps up his ribs and trickles into his lungs, slowly soaking into his heart. It doesn’t stop there. In tiny puffs, it rolls into his limbs, burning the tips of his fingers that carry it back to Kageyama.

It’s a circulation they need.

Kageyama lies so still and heavy, he almost seems to be sleeping. That is, until he thumbs Tsukishima’s knuckles. He presses each of them, trying to draw almost the whole arm inside him. Tsukishima is left silently chuckling at his attempts.

It’s no wonder that Kageyama spends the next half an hour like that, with his nose buried in Tsukishima’s abdomen. The blonde leans forward to kiss Kageyama’s temple, taking a whiff of the scent of his hair in the process. 

“Is it time already?” Kageyama stirs.

Tsukishima smiles his sad smile again. “Yes, Tobio.” 

It’s only Thursday.

Kageyama’s loud sigh is laden with so much weariness, Tsukishima nudges him with his nose and kisses his lips when Kageyama turns to look at him. For the split of a second Kageyama’s eyes widen in surprise, but soon he starts to sink into bliss. His eyelids close once again but it is over too soon. Tsukishima is soon helping him up into a sitting position and stretching to rub the lethargy out of his bones before he starts to dress.

It doesn’t take him too long. Since he looks forward to this tiny hour he gets with Kageyama in the long stretch of a day. It’s why Tsukishima keeps everything readied long before it’s time for Kageyama to come back home. Even their weekends together are cut short by their different work schedules.

He takes off his t-shirt and slips on a pressed white button up. Kageyama watches from behind droopy eyelids as Tsukishima steps out of his shorts and pulls on a pair of dark brown slacks that are cuffed at his ankles even though they are of the right length on him and don’t need cuffing. Tsukishima likes to show some ankle peeking out of shoes and Kageyama finds it cute. He moves towards the mirror at the dressing table that is at the foot of the bed. There is some movement behind him and Kageyama’s arms come to rest on his waist, careful not to leave creases on the clothes. Tsukishima smiles as he watches Kageyama in the mirror, nuzzling the crook his neck and resting his cheek against Tsukishima’s shoulder. The soft blonde curls are patted down as Tsukishima runs a comb through them.

The backpack containing his work laptop and some folders awaits him upon the couch in their living room. Tsukishima walks out of the bedroom, lugging Kageyama in tow. His socks and shoes are placed neatly in the genkan beside Kageyama’s haphazardly thrown ones. Without a word, Kageyama’s arms go lax around him and Tsukishima is free to wear his navy blue with yellow crescent moon socks that come up to the base of his ankle and totally disappears when he puts on his office boots.

Kageyama stands there, waiting. Waiting for the inevitable separation that will hit him any second now. Waiting for the promised goodnight kiss before parting.

Tsukishima doesn’t disappoint. He picks up his backpack and fists the front of Kageyama’s shirt, pulling him close roughly by it. A searing kiss on the lips makes Kageyama want to suck Tsukishima in with every breath they share and contain his whole being inside him so that they won’t have to remain separated anymore.

It doesn’t last long enough.

“Goodnight, love,” Tsukishima withdraws and with another peck on Kageyama’s soft smooth cheek, he’s out the door.

For the whole stretch of the night, Tsukishima attends calls. Thousand calls to and from the other side of the world he cares nothing about as long as it pays. Sitting at the customer service desk does that part enough for Tsukishima and Kageyama to live off their joint income comfortably. But what does comfort mean when they can’t physically share it together and see the other happy?

Tsukishima has thought a lot about applying to other jobs. He is sure Kageyama has too. It never worked out for some reason or the other. Like, the last time, Tsukishima had shortlisted and probably just a few hours away from applying somewhere else when Kageyama informed him of his three months office trip being scheduled in two weeks. What Tsukishima hates more than returning to an empty house is spending the night in an empty house. He chucked the idea aside for good. Spending the weekends at home without Kageyama for those three months was hard enough.

His night shift and Kageyama’s day shift make them feel like the two sides of a coin - always together but never meeting each other. Sometimes when Tsukishima is alone with his thoughts on his lowest days, their relationship somehow feels more threatened than a long distance one. He comes back to an empty house, goes to sleep in an empty bed and wakes up with nobody to get mad at him for hogging off all the blankets or threatening him with a tickle attack for falling asleep on their side of the bed. He waddles to the clean tiled bathroom, freshens up, sometimes nicks his chin accidentally while shaving. Tsukishima Kei has poor hand-eye coordination before his first cup of coffee in the morning.

When they had decided to move in together in their last year of college, Kageyama took up their morning coffee duties. He still maintains that on the weekends. The chair on the other side of the table stares back at him now as Tsukishima sips his coffee, the warmth long having seeped away from its seat for Kageyama has left the house even before Tsukishima could return.

He busies himself with a book or a series on some OTT platform for the rest of the day, waiting for that one call Kageyama makes at lunch break. Kageyama’s colleagues look at him funny, his curt tone and long stretches of silence making them think he’s making work calls and bringing the company bigger deals even in break when in reality he is just having lunch together with Tsukishima over the phone.

Tsukishima gets back to his reading in the afternoon - be it for leisure or studying up product manuals for work. When the sun sets, he readies his clothes for the night, packs his bag, cooks dinner and settles down in the living room resuming the series he is watching. Having watched one such hour long episode later it’s time for him to shower and eat. So that he won’t have to bother with either once Kageyama gets back.

It’s Friday.

Kageyama is back at his game with Tsukishima’s fingers but today he’s leaning with his back against Tsukishima’s chest, head neatly tucked under Tsukishima’s chin and legs folded in the gap between Tsukishima’s long legs lying around him in a weird angle on the bed.

Kageyama traces the lines on Tsukishima’s palms over and over again.

“I made chicken.” Tsukishima is a creature of habit. He likes routine conversations too.

“Curry?” Kageyama may have gotten used to it by now.

Tsukishima smiles, “Yes.”

“Nice.”

“We need to go grocery shopping tomorrow,” he informs. It’s exciting, something to look forward to.

Kageyama nods, his hair tickles Tsukishima’s lower lip.

Andy Grammer’s voice fills the room coming from Kageyama’s phone, the chorus to Don’t Give up on Me blaring from the speaker. Kageyama fishes it out of his pocket ready to reject the call but then he sees the contact name blinking on his phone and settles for a sigh instead before taking it. It’s his boss. 

Fingers still trailing up and down Tsukshima’s hand, eyebrows knitted in concentration, Kageyama patiently lets his boss ruin his evening. 

He maintains some kind of touch with Tsukishima throughout as the blond gets dressed, slips on his shoes, kisses him goodnight and leaves. And all at once his hand is cold and empty just like the house. Kageyama is disgusted at his boss yapping in his ears.

It’s a long evening but Kageyama puts on the playlist he and Tsukishima put together that Tsukishima is also probably listening to in the subway to work. And Kageyama cooks the next day’s main course for lunch. They’ve truly run out of provisions so he decides on a mixed (leftover) vegetables curry with sliced boiled eggs on the top.

Kageyama sets the food down on the table to cool and takes a shower. He heats up the chicken curry Tsukishima has left him. Dinner follows quickly and before long, Kageyama hits the bed.

“Tadaima,” this is the one time in a whole week that Tsukishima doesn’t have to announce the greeting to a deserted house.

“Okaeri,” Kageyama’s voice coming from their bedroom is thick with sleep, drool dried up on the side of his chin, corner of eyes still caked with overnight crust.

Tsukishima drops his bag on the floor of the living room and rushes inside.

“It’s Saturday, finally,” he leans to kiss Kageyama’s forehead.

“Good,” Kageyama mumbles, pulling him under the covers with him.

Between these comings and goings of theirs, Tsukishima’s shoes lay as haphazardly as Kageyama’s in the genkan today.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kaartwheels)!


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